Back to Humanity
by Im-On-A-Roll
Summary: Sequel to "The Thirteenth Year" . Harold is trying to get the hang of his new life as a merman. But he can hardly move his tail, has to sleep on a rock, can eat nothing but kelp, and is made fun at school. His only option is to return to land as a human.
1. Chapter 1: New Life

**Back to Humanity**

_Chapter 1_

Harold had been living in the ocean as a merman for just a little more than two months. It was cool to live in the ocean and all, but he began to miss all the things he had given up to be there. He missed his human dad, his old house, his bedroom, his soft bed, his regular food, and walking.

Harold was used to swimming, but not used to swimming with a tail instead of legs. He just couldn't get the hang of the tail. It was so stiff and hard to move with, he might as well have been paralyzed from the waist down.

He was living with his father Jerry in a house that was really more of a cave. Their house was simply a large pile of rocks that had only one door and no windows.

As for rooms, there were only three; Jerry's bedroom, Harold's bedroom, and the dining room. Harold's room was small, dark, and had no furniture except for a large, flat rock that was supposed to be his "bed". Every night, Harold would just lye down on the lumpy rock and would barely get more than an hour of sleep. When he woke up in the morning, his back would be sore and bruised all over.

Harold's biggest pet peeve in his new life was the food he had to eat. When he first became a merman, he had hoped he would get to eat a lot of fish, lobster, crab, shrimp, and maybe even sushi. But when he mentioned that to Jerry, his reply was "We can't do that, that's cannibalism." Harold learned that since he was now a merman, he was only allowed to eat kelp. Everyday, he and Jerry ate nothing but kelp for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Jerry, who knew nothing of what delicious food they served on land, would eat all of his kelp in a heartbeat and would leave the table in a happy mood. But Harold would just sit there and pick at the green kelp leaves on his plate. The kelp tasted horrible and was barely enough to feed a boy like Harold, who was always hungry as we all know.

The only thing Harold liked about his new home was his new dad. Jerry wasn't a thing like his human dad, but he was a great parent either way. On rare occasions, Harold missed his human dad, Ray. Ray was a great dad that gave Harold everything he ever needed and who loved him uncontrollably. Harold loved Jerry every inch as much as he had loved Ray, but he just wasn't the same. Jerry understood and would try to make his new son feel better by letting him sleep with him in his room.

Harold got to know Jerry better and better by the day, but he never forgot about Ray or about his old life on land.

One evening in late August, Jerry and Harold were sitting at the dinner table when Jerry told Harold that he would have to start school next week.

"What?" Harold asked sadly, "I still have to go to school?"

"Of course," Jerry replied, "Did you think we merpeople were supposed to be stupid our whole lives?"

"Well no, I just didn't know there was such a thing as mer-school."

Jerry laughed, "Well there is, and you're gonna start in one week at Neptune Jr. High."

"What kind of classes will I have to take?" Harold asked, wondering what interesting things merpeople had to learn.

"Let's see," Jerry thought, "History of Merpeople, Care of Marine Creatures, Marine Biology, Human Studies, Choir, Gym, things like that."

"Do I have to take all of those?"

"Yes you do."

"Even Choir?" Harold asked nervously.

"Yeah, even Choir."

"But I can't sing!"

"Oh come on," said Jerry, "Any merperson can sing. It's instinct."

"But I haven't been a merman all my life, Dad."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

Harold sighed, "I can't do it."

"It won't be that bad, Harold," said Jerry.

"Dad, I can barely swim on my own," Harold protested, "How am I supposed to get through mer-school on my own?"

"Harold, Neptune is one of the best schools in the seven seas. I went there when I was your age. They have so many students there; you'll make new friends after just the first day. Maybe you'll even find the girl of your dreams. In fact, that's where I met your mother."

"Well," Harold thought, "I guess I could give it a shot. Is there a lunch period?"

"Of course there is. What kind of school doesn't have lunch period?"

"Then I'll try it."

"Good for you. But if it makes you feel any better, I'm a little nervous about you starting school too."

"Why?"

"Because some of the kids might notice immediately that you used to be human."

"So?" Harold asked.

He clearly had no idea what the big deal was about once being a human, so Jerry decided not to tell him. "Nothing," he said, "Don't worry about it."

But Harold did worry about it. He automatically knew that Jerry was hiding something from him, something that he would clearly have to find out about the hard way. But that is information for another chapter.

_End of chapter_


	2. Chapter 2: New School

_Chapter 2_

Harold woke up at seven o'clock the following Monday and prepared himself for his new school. There was no denying that he was nervous. He was starting at a new school with completely different people and completely different classes. But he was also nervous about how his social life would be; after all he wasn't exactly the most popular kid in school when he was a human. How would this be any different?

Then again, Harold had seen so many movies about merpeople when he was a little kid, and they were always happy and friendly. Plus mermaids were supposed to be drop-dead gorgeous. Maybe he would meet a lovely mermaid and ask her out or something. Harold and Jerry ate a quick breakfast and then left their home.

Twenty minutes later, they stopped in front of a building that was really just another pile of rocks. The only difference between this building and their house was that this building was about twenty stories bigger.

"Here we are, son," said Jerry.

"This is it?" Harold asked.

"Yeah. What do you think?"

Harold wasn't sure how to respond. His old school was a beach house compared to Neptune Jr. High, "It's, uh…bigger than I thought it'd be."

Jerry laughed, "It's a school, what'd you expect?"

The titanic size of the school only increased Harold's nerves, how would he be able to find all of his classes without getting lost? But he'd give it a try for Jerry and his late mom.

Harold looked around them and was relieved to see he wasn't the only one who seemed intimidated by the completely new school. About twenty other mer-kids who were clearly seventh graders were staring at the school looking just as mesmerized as he had. Their parents, like Jerry, were trying to calm them down and wouldn't leave until their kids were okay. Clearly good parenting was another trait for merpeople.

"Alright Harold, here's your schedule and map of the school." Jerry handed Harold two rolled up pieces of parchment.

"Thanks, Dad," Harold said with an almost forced smile.

"And I should probably tell you this," Jerry said placing a hand on Harold's shoulder, "Most of the kids might not be comfortable knowing you used to be a human. So if anyone asks, you're an exchange student from Poseidon Middle School."

"Okay, Dad," Harold answered wondering why someone wouldn't like knowing he once was a human.

"Good," Jerry hugged Harold tightly, "I love you."

Harold was still confused, but hugged Jerry back anyway, "I love you too, Dad."

They pulled away and Jerry watched Harold swim toward the school building with a smile. Once Harold was inside, Jerry turned and started back home.

Harold swam nervously through the school's hallway, which was a never-ending corridor of rock and other mer-kids. His old school hallway had what every other school had; windows, lockers, gossiping teenagers, hall monitors, and teachers. Right now, going back there sounded pretty cozy. Especially considering the fact that the other mer-kids were staring at the weird way he was swimming. Everywhere he looked, he saw popular looking mermaids whispering remarks about him to their friends or sturdy looking mermen pointing at him and laughing out loud.

Even on land, Harold was never laughed or pointed at for doing something the other kids thought wrong. But he ignored the other mer-kids and unrolled his schedule. His first class of the day would be History of Merpeople in room 422. He looked at his map and practically screamed when he saw that room 422 was on the top floor.

X--X

By lunchtime, Harold desperately wished the day would end. In every single class so far, everything he had done was wrong or embarrassing.

The first thing he had messed up on was being ten minutes late for History of Merpeople. His excuse was because the classroom was so far away from where he was and he was still learning how to swim properly. But the teacher Mrs. Beluga, sweet as she was, didn't excuse him. If being late to class weren't enough, Harold had to sit on the floor the whole lesson because there were no extra seats.

His second class, choir, went just as bad as his first. The eccentric choir teacher, Mr. Bottlenose, would constantly hear one certain student singing off key or mumbling because they didn't know the words to the song. Whenever he'd ask which one of them it was, the other students would all point to Harold.

In Marine Biology, students would have to dissect a starfish. Dissecting frogs on land always made Harold feel queasy, the starfish was no different. When he saw what was inside it, he passed out. This was embarrassing because he was the only one who reacted this way. The other students were cool about the dissection, even the prissy-looking mermaids.

Gym class might've been the most embarrassing of the day. It was held outside because the students were supposed to ride dolphins. Harold wasn't nervous at first because he had seen humans ride dolphins at the beach, so it was something even he could do. Right? Wrong! Harold placed his hands on his dolphin's dorsal fin and waited for it to start moving. The dolphin finally started swimming but started off faster than Harold had expected. Harold accidentally let go of its' dorsal fin and its' flukes slapped him in the face. He had to spend the rest of the period trying to catch the dolphin, but by the time class was over it had swam away. Harold was scolded at by the gym coach for letting one of the school's dolphins escape.

Now he was sitting by himself in the cafeteria hoping he'd never have to come back to that school again. For thirty endless minutes he just sat there picking at his kelp while the other kids stared at him as if he were an animal at the zoo. On land, lunchtime was the only time of the school day he looked forward to because of good food, socializing with his friends, and just a nice, quiet break from class. But this was different in so many ways.

When lunch was over, Harold was in a somewhat better mood because of his last class of the day: Human Studies. This was already his favorite class because he once was a human thus he would clearly get a good grade. When he got to the class, he took a seat and looked around to see some of the other kids looked less than amused to be there. At first he wondered why, but he got over it when class started. The teacher, Ms. Seashore, took roll and then began class.

"Now I assume all of you have done your summer reading because we will be starting the semester with a pop quiz."

The other students moaned miserably, but Harold knew he would do great on a quiz for a class that studied his former species. The students pulled out their quills and began the quiz once they each got one.

The quiz was exactly what Harold had expected it to be, easy as pie. He knew the answers to every single question. What is the name of the body part that humans use for walking? True or false, humans can live forever without drinking any water. Name all of humans' food groups. He finished the entire quiz in less than two minutes and then turned it in.

Ms. Seashore graded all of the quizzes and handed them back before school was over. When she handed Harold's back to him, she announced to the whole class that he was the first student ever to get an A on a quiz in her class. Harold felt proud of himself and only a few other students were impressed by this news. The others stared at him wondering how any merman could know so much about humans.

Then suddenly, a tall merman with light brown hair and a dark green tail who was sitting next to Harold spoke, "That's kinda cool, Harold," he said.

"Thanks," Harold replied.

"So tell us," the merman continued suddenly sounding rather serious, "How'd ya do it?"

"How'd I do what?"

"How'd ya get an A on a Human Studies quiz? Ms. Seashore here said it herself; no one's ever done it before. Now tell us."

"Um…Well…" Harold remembered what Jerry said about how the other kids would react to him once being a human. What was he going to tell them?

"Thought so," the merman laughed, "You used to be a human, didn't ya?"

"N-No, I didn't."

"That's enough, Roderick." said Ms. Seashore.

"Admit it, Harold," said Roderick, "You used to live on land with those brainless, spineless, fish-eatin' savages, didn't ya?"

Harold lost his temper, "Hey! Don't talk about them like that! How would you know what they're like? You've never even met one!"

"HA!" Roderick said pointing, "Ya see? He admitted it. He's a harp heart!"

The rest of the class gasped at what Roderick had just said. Harold didn't know what the heck a harp heart was, but apparently it was a bad thing.

"That does it, Roderick," said Ms. Seashore, "You get detention!"

"What?"

"You heard me!"

"Oh, come on Ms. S." Roderick pleaded.

"Roderick, if you insist on using such fowl language in my classroom, you must be punished."

When school was over, Harold and the other students except Roderick left the classroom and headed for home. Harold had so many emotions in his head; anger because of what Roderick had said about humans, confusion because of why he would feel that way about them, and sadness because of being called a harp heart, whatever it was.

_End of chapter_


	3. Chapter 3: What's a Harp Heart?

_Chapter 3_

All Harold could think about for the rest of the afternoon was what Roderick had said to him in class that day. When he arrived home from school, Jerry greeted him and asked him how his first day of school was. Harold replied with a shrug and the word "okay" because he his mind was too full for him to concentrate properly. Then he swam to his room and didn't come out until dinner time.

At the dinner table, Harold still couldn't focus on anything else. All he did was stare at his plate and play around with his kelp. Every so often Jerry would ask if there was anything he wanted to talk about, but Harold said everything was fine. Of course Jerry didn't buy this, so he waited and waited until his son had no choice but to tell him what was on his mind.

"Dad?"

"_That didn't take long,"_ Jerry thought to himself. "Yeah, Son?"

Harold inhaled deeply, "What's a harp heart?"

Jerry dropped his fork in shock and then sighed, "Did someone call you that at school today?"

Harold nodded.

Jerry got up from his seat, "Follow me, Harold." The two mermen went to Harold's room and sat down beside each other on his bed.

"Harold," Jerry began, "Did you tell any of the other kids that you used to be a human?"

"No, I didn't tell anybody," Harold replied, "This one guy found out 'cause I aced a pop quiz in Human Studies."

Jerry slapped himself on the forehead, "I should've known you'd be the only kid there who knew how humans live!"

"Should I have pretended I didn't know the answers, Dad?"

"That might've been best. I had the feeling someone would find out but I never guessed they'd find out because you aced a Human Studies quiz. I feel so stupid!"

"Dad, it's not your fault," Harold said, "Just tell me what a harp heart is."

"A harp heart is an insulting name for a merperson who was raised by humans," Jerry explained, "It's not really a name people use in civilized conversation."

"Dad, are merpeople supposed to hate humans?" Harold asked.

"Well the thing is there are some merpeople who are afraid of humans because of their nets and harpoon."

"Oh," said Harold, "I get it, _harpoon_ heart."

"Yep. That's why I didn't want you telling anyone. They might have thought you were one of those hunter humans who might hurt them if they got close to you."

"That's stupid," said Harold.

"Well, I think so too," said Jerry, "But other merpeople don't understand humans or people that once were humans."

There was still one thing Harold didn't get, "Why do you understand humans?"

Jerry smiled, "Because my son was one of them for thirteen years. Why do you think?"

"So what am I supposed to do now that my whole school hates me because I used to be a human?"

"Well I think all there is to do is to go back tomorrow and try to ignore them," Jerry suggested.

Harold shut his eyes, "This is so unfair. Everyone at my school hates me and they think I'm some kind of killer!"

"It's okay, Harold," said Jerry, "I understand how you feel."

"No you don't, Dad. When you were my age you had friends, a girlfriend, and teachers who loved you! I'm never gonna have any of those things because I'm a harp heart!"

"Well even though I was never a human, I still understand," Jerry said as he placed his hand on Harold's back.

Harold looked at him, "You do?"

"Of course I do. I'm your dad."

Harold didn't speak.

"I can see this is gonna take a while," said Jerry, "Get some sleep, Harold. I'll see you tomorrow." Jerry got up and headed for the door, "I love you, son."

"Mm-hm," said Harold, "Goodnight."

Jerry left the room and Harold lay down on his rock bed and tried to fall asleep. For almost three hours, he tossed and turned trying to get comfortable, but he couldn't put the thought of how bad the next day would be to rest. That jerk Roderick would probably make fun of him in front of the whole school. To think earlier that morning he was just worried about making friends, but now he had to worry about everyone fearing him.

But that wasn't the only thing on his mind. The more time he spent at that school, the more he missed his human school and his old life. He just wished everything would go back to normal. He was sick of living like a caveman and eating kelp three times everyday.

Harold decided he would run away and never have to go to that school again. He knew he could no longer return to land so this was his only choice. He got out of bed and picked up a quill, ink, and parchment he had used for school. With tears falling from his eyes, he quickly wrote a note for his dad and set it on his rock bed. Then he quietly and carefully swam from his room and went to Jerry's room to take one last look at him. Lucky for him Jerry was asleep.

Harold knew he probably shouldn't do it, but he couldn't leave without giving Jerry a hug goodbye. He slowly approached Jerry and hugged him as gently as he could so as not to wake him up. Then he left the room, swam out the front door, and swam away from the house as fast as his pitiful tail could move him.

After what seemed like forever, Harold came to a forest of long, swaying kelp plants. Each plant was as tall as a two-story building and there were so many of them that they looked endless. Harold decided that since the plants were so tall and numerous, this would be he perfect place to sleep for the night.

He swam into the kelp forest and after a while found a rock sitting on the ground that was just big enough for him. He lay down on the rock, closed his eyes, and fell asleep not even knowing that he was being watched.

_End of Chapter_


	4. Chapter 4: Madame Azura

_Chapter 4_

Harold woke up the next morning expecting to see nothing but giant, swaying kelp plants for miles. But when he opened his eyes and looked around, he saw that he was in some sort of cave. This cave was not the cave he had been living in with his dad. This cave was much darker, had a ceiling as high as any mansion, the inside walls were purple and decorated with glittering, silver colored starfish, and in the middle of the floor was what looked like a large cauldron.

Harold sat up and continued to look around this mysterious cave. Several questions were swimming (no pun intended) inside his mind; what was this place, how did he get here, who lived here, and what was that cauldron for?

Then something else caught his eye. A large creature was emerging from the shadows not too far from him. At first, all Harold could see of the mysterious creature was eight long, black octopus tentacles. He started to feel nervous; he had always been afraid of octopuses, even in the ones in movies. But maybe this was a good octopus that was coming out to ask him to be his friend. When Harold finally saw the rest of the octopus, he noticed it was only an octopus from the waist down. From the waist up, the creature was a lovely woman with dark, shoulder-length hair, long, fluttering eyelashes, and a smile that made her look evil (Try to imagine Rhonda from Hey Arnold's mom with tentacles).

"Good morning, my darling," the octopus-woman said in a low, soothing voice, "Did you sleep well?"

"Who are you, and where the heck am I?" Harold asked.

"I am Madame Azura, and this is my home. I bid you welcome."

"Uh, thanks Madame Azura," said Harold, "But how did I get here?"

"Good question, deary," said Madame Azura, "You see I was wandering in the kelp forest late last night and I saw you looking a little lost. I was going to offer to help you, but you looked so tired and so I decided to let you sleep. I waited until I was sure you were asleep and then I brought you here."

Harold wondered how someone so skinny could carry someone his size, "You mean you carried me all the way here?"

"Carried you?" Azura giggled in an airy, light-headed way, "Of course not my dear boy, I used my telekinetic powers to control you."

"Telekinetic powers?" Harold asked not believing her, "Do I look like some kind of idiot to you?"

"No you don't, my dear. You look like a rather intelligent young merman who believes in magic."

"Well I don't believe in magic, so tell me how you were really able to carry me."

Azura didn't say a word, she just continued to stand there and smile cruelly. Then she lifted a long, boney finger and pointed it upward. Harold had no idea what she was trying to pull off, until he felt his blue cap somehow floating off of his head. Then Azura gestured her finger so that the cap would come towards her, and it did in less than a second.

"Now do you believe in magic?" she asked a very shocked Harold.

"Uh…"

"Because if you don't, I can make it shred to pieces with just one snap of my fingers."

"Okay yes, I believe in magic," Harold panicked.

"Good boy."

Azura snapped her fingers and instantly the cap was back on Harold's head.

"Now then," Azura continued, "You haven't told me your name yet."

"Oh, I'm Harold."

"Well Harold," said Azura, "Tell me why on earth you were in the kelp forest at midnight last night."

Harold's head fell, "I was running away from home."

"Don't tell me," Azura said, "You were made fun of at school, weren't you?"

"Yeah, I was."

"Your father thought he understood your problem but he really didn't."

"Exactly."

"You were so fed up with it that you just couldn't stay and so you ran away in the middle of the night."

"Yeah," said Harold, "How'd you know that?"

Azura giggled again, "You're not the first, Harold. I've met eight other kids who have had that problem."

"Really?"

"Really. So why were you made fun of at school? Ask a girl out on a date in front of her boyfriend?"

"No, but I wish," said Harold, "The other kids found out I used to be a human."

Azura raised an eyebrow, which was her way of showing she was surprised, "Well that is much more serious than I thought. But there's no need to worry, my dear. You've come to the right place."

"What do you mean?" Harold asked.

"It's obvious, isn't it Sweetie? The only way to regain your happiness is to become a human once again."

Harold shook his head, "I can't do that. My dad told me I've already lived on land for thirteen years."

Azura shook her head, "Haven't you realized yet? My magic can defy all laws of nature. I can do things no other magical being could even dream of doing. I can turn you back into a human even though your time on land is up."

"You can really do that?"

"Of course I can. And if you really want, I can do it right now."

Harold's eyes widened, "Really? That would be so awesome! But how much is it gonna cost me?"

"Cost? Oh come now," said Azura, "I don't need gold. My only reward is the happiness of my costumers."

"You mean you can do it for free?"

"That's what I'm saying. You'll have your old life back in just minutes. Besides it's a much better choice than staying in the ocean where you'll be running for the rest of your life. Don't you agree?"

Harold nodded, "Definitely."

"Marvelous, now let's get to work."

Azura swam toward her cauldron and told Harold to pay close attention to how she made the human potion. Harold didn't understand why she wanted him to, but he did as he was told and watched closely. Azura swam toward a giant clamshell, opened it, and pulled out five vials filled with different ingredients.

The ingredients for the potion were a single drop of human blood, a human bone, a small piece of human skin, and a single human hair. All this was pretty easy for Harold to follow, but then Azura spoke to him.

"Now this is the final and most important ingredient," she said holding up the last vial, "It's sand from the exact same beach you were on when you became a merman. This is what will send you to that beach when you drink the potion so that you won't have to swim to the surface."

She poured the sand into the cauldron. Then she snapped her fingers and immediately a golden goblet appeared in Harold's hand.

"Fill it with the potion," said Azura. Harold did so and waited for Azura's further instructions.

"There is one more thing I should give you." Azura clapped her hands once and a small bubble no bigger than a golf ball appeared in front of Harold's face. "This bubble will be your porthole to the underwater world in case you ever want to see your father again. All you have to do is ask and it will show you anything you want to see."

Harold tried to touch the bubble as gently as he could so as not to pop it. "Don't worry, Harold. It can never pop, not even on land."

"Wow," said Harold, "Thanks Madame Azura."

"You're welcome. Now drink the potion, don't let the magic go cold."

Harold nervously held the goblet to his lips and drank the potion.

X--X

Jerry had woken up just minutes ago and was now outside Harold's bedroom doorway. He felt that it was best if Harold didn't go back to school. He was aware of the abuse he'd get if he went back.

"Harold?" he said hoping Harold would hear him, "I know you don't want to go back to school, and I realize that no one'll want to be around you. So you can stay home as long as you need to. I can home school you if you want. What do you think of that?"

There was no answer, "Harold?" Jerry looked in the bedroom and was surprised to see a note on Harold's bed. He picked up the note and read what it said.

_Dad,_

_I'm really sorry about this but I have to leave. You're a really great dad, but I just can't live like this anymore. I never meant to hurt you like this, please forgive me. Don't worry about me; I'll be fine on my own. _

_Harold. _

"Harold!" Jerry yelled. He dropped the note to the floor and started to cry his eyes out.

_End of Chapter_


	5. Chapter 5: Back to Humanity

_Chapter 5_

Harold drank every last drop of Madame Azura's potion until the entire goblet was empty. When he finished it, he felt like he was going be sick. The potion, like anything else involving blood, bone, skin, hair, and sand, tasted horrible. He dropped the goblet and started panting heavily.

"Madame Azura?" he asked, "Is it supposed to make me feel like I'm gonna barf?"

"Harold, potions aren't supposed to be delicious."

"Well that was seriously the grossest thing I've ever tasted."

Harold held his stomach tightly and tried to keep the potion inside him. But the feeling of throwing up didn't stay in his mind for long. In just seconds a giant bubble magically appeared around him, taking him by surprise.

"Madame Azura, what the heck's going on?" he asked nervously.

"This bubble will instantly transport you back to the beach," Azura replied.

Before Harold could ask any more questions, Azura and the cave in which she lived vanished from his sight and were replaced by a very familiar beach.

At first Harold was pleased, but then he looked down and saw that the bubble he was inside was floating at least twenty feet above the water. Lucky for him, since it was so early in the morning nobody was at the beach to see him. Then the bubble popped and Harold fell face first into the shallow water.

Harold lifted his face out of the water and spit out a mouthful of salt and muddy sand. He scooped up some water in his hands, cleaned off his face and then looked down at his tail to see if the potion worked. Harold felt like Azura had lied to him because his tail was still intact, but soon he saw a blue shirt magically appearing on his wet body. He felt the shirt to see if it was really there, and it was. He looked at his tail once more and right before his eyes, all his blue scales vanished and his tail slowly split in two. His fins turned to feet and a pair of swimming trunks appeared around his waist.

Harold wiggled his bare toes to see if they still worked, and then he stood up with a smile on his face. The potion had worked, he was human again! He was so happy, he threw himself to the sandy ground and kissed it over and over again.

"I never thought I'd miss land so much!" he laughed, "No more caves, no more eating kelp, and no more swimming! I'M BACK! Hey, what the heck am I doin' here? I gotta get home. Oh dad's gonna be so surprised."

Harold never thought he'd miss running so much. With every step he took he was rejoicing inside his head. He didn't even mind that the hot pavement was burning his bare feet. After half an hour of running, he finally arrived on his old street and ran up to his old house. He merrily opened up the front door and ran inside.

"Dad!" he yelled, "Dad, it's me Harold! I'm back!" When he didn't hear an answer from Ray, his excitement turned to slight sadness. "Dad? Are you here?" Still there was no answer.

Harold went upstairs and checked every room in the house, but Ray was no where to be found. He wasn't even in his bedroom. Maybe this wasn't as it seemed. Maybe Ray was out running some errands or maybe he got a new job over the summer and had to work today. Harold relaxed and decided to go downstairs and just chill out until Ray got home, whenever that might be.

X--X

Jerry sat down sadly on his bed holding the note from Harold in his hand. Every word, letter, and period in that note brought tears to his eyes. He must've read the note at least ten times trying to figure out why Harold would want to run away like this. Then again it was a little obvious; Harold didn't want to go back to that school only to have everyone run away from him.

How could Jerry have let this happen? He should never have made Harold go to merschool after just two months of being a merman. He should've waited until Harold was used to all the changes in his life, or at least until he could swim properly.

But what really bothered him was how Harold would be able to survive out there on his own. There were sharks, sea snakes, giant squids, and other bigger fish out there. Harold could barely swim and stood no chance of against any of those things.

Jerry knew what he had to do. He snapped out of his state of shock and threw the note to the ground.

"Harold," he said, "I know you don't want me doing this, but I'm going out to look for you. I've already lost your mother, and I've been without you for thirteen years. I'm not going to let you die out there. I'm going to find you and bring you back even it takes the rest of my life."

And with that, Jerry rose from his bed and swam out the front door to begin his search for his son.

X--X

It was ten o'clock at night. Harold had put on his old pajamas and was now lying down in his bed. As comfortable as he was in the warmth and softness of his bed, he was completely miserable.

Just three hours ago, he was sitting in the living room eating a ham sandwich and watching TV and Ray still hadn't come home. Clearly he wasn't at work or running errands, so where could he be? Harold had then gone next door to ask his neighbors, who were very surprised to see him because apparently Ray had told them he was living with distant relatives, if they knew where Ray was. Harold was in for the shock of his life when they told him that about a month ago, Ray was depressed about living without him that he had literally died of a broken heart.

Harold felt like his life was falling apart piece by piece. First he had to leave Ray to live a life of water and rock, then he was forced to go to a school where nobody liked him, and now he had returned to his old life only to find out that his human dad had died because of his absence. But the worst part was that in returning to humanity, he had left behind his real dad, who had given him all the love a son could ask for.

Harold never knew his life used to be so great before. He had had two really great dads in the past, and he'd lost them both in just one summer. And then a terrible thought came to him; since Ray had died of a broken heart, eventually Jerry might. He had to know how Jerry was doing, and he had to know now. He jumped out of bed, picked up the trunks he had worn that day from the floor, reached into the pocket and pulled out the unpopable bubble Madame Azura had given him.

"I'd like to see my dad, please," Harold said as clearly as he could. Then the bubble gave off a dazzling green light that caused him to shut his eyes. When the light dimmed a little bit, Harold looked into the bubble and saw Jerry who was outside and was clearly trying to look for him.

"Harold!" Jerry cried, "Harold, where are you?"

Harold shed a few tears. Jerry had no idea that he searching for him in vain, or that he was a human again.

"That's enough," said Harold.

The light around the bubble vanished and Harold put it back in his pocket. He got back in bed and let his tears fall onto his pillow. What had he done? He had left behind the one person who cared about him more than anything in the world and scared him half to death. Even though living with Jerry meant sleeping on a rock, eating weeds, and going to school with jerks, it also meant living with someone who loved him and that's what home was really about. Harold wished so much that he could become a merman again, go home and swim into Jerry's arms where he belonged. This horrible feeling would never leave his mind.

X--X

"Harold! Please if you can hear me, come home! I miss you!"

Jerry had been on this search for his son for ten whole hours. He had searched under every stone and behind every plant he saw, and there was still no sign of Harold.

Jerry was so tired but as a parent he wouldn't stop searching until his son was found. Then again, he could barely keep his eyes open and he was losing his breath from calling out Harold's name for so long. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to just sit down and rest for a few minutes. He sat down on the ground and the minute he closed his eyes, a voice spoke.

"Oh you poor merman, you look exhausted."

Jerry looked up to see who it was and there right in front of him was Madame Azura.

_End of Chapter_


	6. Chapter 6: Jerry and Azura

_Chapter 6_

Unlike Harold, Jerry didn't seem to be intimidated by Madame Azura's tentacles. In fact, he didn't seem intimidated by her at all; rather he was pleased to be in her presence.

"Madame Azura?" Jerry asked.

"The one and only," Azura replied with her evil smile.

"This is such an honor," Jerry said, "I've always wanted to meet you. I've heard so much about you and all the things you do for merpeople. And may I just say you're much more beautiful than I've been told."

"You're too kind. Now please allow me to escort you to my humble a dwelling where you're welcome to stay for the night."

Jerry lifted a hand, "That's very kind of you, but I'm trying to…"

"My dear man, you just look at you. You can scarcely swim let alone keep your eyes open. I simply must take you to my home so that you may get a good night's sleep."

"Well," Jerry thought, "If you insist."

Azura smiled, "Excellent. I'll use my telekinetic powers to help you get there."

"Thank you, Madame Azura."

Azura snapped her fingers and Jerry was magically lifted from the ground. Then the two of them made their way back to Azura's cave. But Azura didn't need magic to know who this merman was. He looked fairly similar to the young merman she had humified this morning and he had a similar body. This was definitely Harold's father, which was exactly who she needed.

By the time they arrived, Jerry had fallen asleep. Azura used her magic to gently set him down onto the sandy floor.

"Sleep tight, my good merman," Azura said to sleeping Jerry, "Heaven knows you will tomorrow."

X--X

Jerry woke up the next morning feeling rested and ready to continue his search.

"Did you sleep well, Darling?" Azura asked him the minute he opened his eyes.

Jerry yawned widely, "Yes I did, thank you Madame Azura."

"You're certainly welcome."

"Well, I better get going," Jerry said.

"Not so fast," said Azura, "I still would like to know your name."

"My name is Jerry, why do you want to know?"

"Oh no reason. But there is something else I'd like to know."

"What is it?" Jerry asked.

"What exactly were you doing last night that you felt was so important that you couldn't even stop to sleep?" Azura had already figured it out for herself, but she couldn't let Jerry know that.

"I was trying to find my son."

Azura pretended to act surprised, "Your son?"

"Yes," Jerry said suddenly looking sad, "You see he ran away a few days ago and I just want him back."

"Oh that's terrible," Azura faked, "Tell me, what is his name?"

"It's Harold."

Azura gasped, "Well upon my word! I met a young merman just yesterday who said his name was Harold."

Jerry looked up at her, "You did?"

"Yes, and coincidentally he was running away from his home too."

"What did he look like?"

"Actually, he looked very much like you only he had a blue tail and he wore a blue hat that for some reason was very important to him."

Jerry jumped up in excitement, "That's him! Do you know where he is now?"

Azura's lips curled into a smile, "As a matter of fact, I do. Right now as we speak, your son is living amongst the humans on land, where he once lived."

Jerry's smile disappeared, "What did you say?"

"He told me that he used to live on land, and that nobody understood how he was feeling, not even you," Azura explained, "So I made him a potion that would defy the laws of nature and transform him back into a human permanently."

"You mean to say that all this time, my son's been living on land?" Jerry asked impatiently.

Azura nodded.

"Well than I want you to make a potion that'll change him back and bring him home."

Azura sighed, "I'm afraid no potion or spell will be able to that."

"What?"

"He's under the affects of an irreversible potion," said Azura, "No matter what I do, he'll remain human forever."

"But there's gotta be something you can…" Then Jerry thought of a solution. If Harold couldn't come to him, then he should go to Harold, "Azura?"

"Yes, Jerry?"

"I want you to make me the same potion you made for Harold."

"Really?" Azura faked once more, "You're willing to give up your tail just to see your son again?"

"I'd give up my life to see him again, even for just a few minutes."

Azura thought for a few minutes, even though she already knew she would do it, "You're sure you want to do this?"

"I'm positive," said Jerry, "I waited thirteen years to see him and I'm not going to lose him again."

"My, my," Azura said in a phony impressed tone, "You put your family before anything else. I love that in a merman. Very well, then. Your wish is my command."

"Thank you, Azura," Jerry said happily.

"You're very welcome, Jerry my dear."

_End of Chapter_


	7. Chapter 7: Jerry's Turn

_Chapter 7_

The next morning, Harold woke up and got out of bed still feeling terrible about leaving Jerry behind.

Last night had been the worst night of his life. Not only because of the tearful vision he had seen of Jerry in the enchanted bubble Azura had given him, but because Jerry was searching in vain for him. Harold knew that Azura's potion could never ware off, there was no turning back now. He would forever be a human, his father would forever be a merman, and that was that.

But that wasn't all that was on Harold's mind. He was living alone now and had no parents to work, shop, cook, or take care of the house. Pretty soon, he would have to get a job so that he could do all of that stuff himself. And that meant a real job, not temporarily flipping burgers to get money for concert tickets. There was no way he could go back to his old school because everyone there thought he was across state lines, so get a job it was. Maybe he'd look in the Job Listings add in the newspaper that morning.

Harold got dressed and then went downstairs to have breakfast and to begin looking for a job. He went outside to get the newspaper and then to the kitchen to fix himself a bowl of cereal. As he sat at the lonely kitchen table looking through the paper, he felt a sudden mysterious vibration in his pocket.

"What the heck?" Harold asked himself.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the source of the unusual feeling, which turned out to be Azura's enchanted bubble. Harold stared at the bubble for several seconds waiting for something to happen, but all it did was shake. Then suddenly it began to glow in the same blinding green light as it had the night before. Azura never told him the bubble could show him something without him asking it. Maybe this was something Azura wanted him to see.

Harold squinted his eyes to get a better view of what the bubble was showing him. When he finally saw what was going on, he was most surprised. There inside the bubble was Jerry, who was standing in a very familiar looking cave with purple walls covered with silver starfish. Then he saw another figure in the bubble, and sure enough it was Madame Azura.

"Dad," Harold asked to no one in particular, "What are you doing with Madame Azura?"

His question was shortly answered when he saw Azura pouring ingredients for something into her cauldron. Harold could clearly see what the ingredients were; a drop of human blood, a human bone, a small piece of human skin, and a single human hair.

Harold didn't need to be a straight A student to figure out the situation. Azura was making a humifying potion for Jerry. Harold felt overjoyed for the first time all day. His dad was going to join him on land and they would be a family again. But this feeling of joy and happiness only lasted for a few seconds because Harold noticed that Azura had left out an ingredient. Correction, she had left out the most important ingredient; sand that would transport the drinker to the beach. Azura then clapped and made a goblet magically appear. Harold watched helplessly as Jerry dipped the goblet into the cauldron and then drank it.

"DAD, NO!" Harold yelled. But it was no use. Jerry had drunk the whole potion and suddenly started to breathe heavily.

"I feel…" Jerry said, "I feel dizzy."

Azura said nothing, she just stood there motionless as if waiting for something to happen. Then she began laughing uncontrollably as a giant bubble appeared around Jerry. Azura laughed and laughed and showed no sign of stopping. As for Jerry, things weren't going well for him at all.

A streak of golden light swirled around Jerry's emerald green tail like a snake. Harold could hardly bare to watch this happen to his own father. Jerry's tail forcefully split right between his fins and was instantly replace with a pair of human legs. The bubble around Jerry burst but he was still inside the cave.

"NOOO!" Harold screamed. Azura had transformed Jerry into a human, but purposely made it so that he would drown. Jerry was buck naked and was shaking his arms and new legs trying to swim and Azura was still laughing like a maniac. This was too much for Harold to handle.

"That's enough," he said to the bubble with a shaking voice. The horrible vision of Jerry and Azura vanished and Harold put the bubble back in hid pocket.

Harold spent the rest of the day upstairs in his room crying. As the hours passed, he asked himself the same question over and over again; How could he have let this happen? In just three months, he had left behind two great fathers to live a new life, and let them both die of broken hearts.

And what was worse was that he had actually trusted that horrible Azura. He was blind to her cruelty and actually thought she was doing him a favor. But what she really did was turn him into a human so that Jerry would come looking for him and then she killed him. She was nothing but a liar and a murderer.

After what seemed like forever, Harold finally lifted his head from his pillow and looked up at his clock. It was five minutes to seven. He had been crying for eleven long hours straight. Even though he missed both of his dads so much, all this crying couldn't be good for his health. He decided he needed a break from crying. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the bubble. Even though Jerry was dead, maybe his body somehow washed up on shore. That way, Harold could give his dad a proper funeral and bury his body somewhere pleasant.

"I'd like to see my dad, please."

The bubble glowed and then dimmed as it always did, but when Harold looked into it and saw Jerry, he yelled in total shock. Jerry was a human, but for some reason he had neither drowned nor died. He was on the beach, which was exactly where Harold had hoped he'd be, but still in the ocean. Jerry was trying to crawl onto the beach, but he was too tired. He coughed up a lot of salt water and then passed out if not died.

"DAD!"

Harold had to get down to the beach and bring Jerry home before it was too late.

"That's enough!" The bubble ceased its magic and Harold put it in his pocket.

Harold hurriedly pulled his bedspread off of his bed; he knew Jerry would need it since he was wearing no clothes and would be freezing. Then he ran downstairs and out the front door hoping he wouldn't be too late by the time he found Jerry.

_End of chapter_


	8. Chapter 8: Together Again

_Chapter 8_

Harold ran as fast as he could with his bedspread in his arm. He hoped with all his heart that Jerry was still alive. But the odds were rather low. Jerry had lived in the ocean for forty-five years, but now that he was human he could die in just minutes if he stayed naked on the freezing cold beach for too long. Harold tried not to even think about the possibilities of Jerry dying and hoped he would get there in time.

"Wait just a little bit longer, Dad," he said, "I'll be there soon."

In the end, it took just over half an hour for him to arrive at the beach. Lucky for him the beach was empty, so it wouldn't be too hard to find Jerry. In fact, it took only five minutes to find him.

Jerry looked no different than Harold had seen in his enchanted bubble. He was indeed human and was wearing nothing but his eye glasses. And he was still laying motionless on his front in the shallow water.

"Dad!"

Harold quickly ran to Jerry's side and bent down so that their eye levels met. He was now close enough to see that Jerry's eyes were closed. Hopefully that didn't mean he was dead. Harold rolled Jerry over onto his back and pressed his ear to his chest to see if his heart was beating, and it was.

"Thank goodness," Harold said almost panicking.

Then Jerry's mouth opened slightly and he began taking deep, raspy breaths. Harold smiled and stepped back a little bit to give Jerry some air. Jerry slowly opened one eye then the other and looked up at Harold.

"Hi, Dad," Harold said quietly.

A warm smile appeared on Jerry's face, "H-Harold?"

Jerry was so weak and tired that he could barely talk, but Harold understood what he was saying.

"It's me, Dad."

"Son."

"Come on, Dad. Let me help you up."

Harold bent down again and Jerry threw his arm around his shoulders. It took a few minutes for Jerry to get on his feet, but Harold was patient.

"Here," Harold said unfolding his bedspread, "Let me put this on you so you'll stay warm and so nobody sees you naked." He threw the bedspread onto Jerry's shoulders and wrapped it around his bare body.

"Th-Thanks, Harold," Jerry said weakly.

"You're welcome. Now let's go home."

Since Jerry was new to the whole walking thing, Harold had to hold him up and help him the whole way home. Jerry was unbelievably heavy and it took over an hour-and-a-half, but it was worth it by the time they got home.

Harold led Jerry to the couch and fetched him a hot water bottle and a large pot of hot water for him to soak his cold, numb feet in. Then he sat down next to him to keep him company.

"Do you feel better, Dad?"

Jerry nodded, "A little bit, thanks son."

"Dad, I saw you with Madame Azura," Harold confessed.

"You did?" Jerry asked, "How?"

Harold pulled Azura's bubble out of his pocket, "She gave this to me. I can see anyone I want with it."

"Oh."

Harold put the bubble back and continued, "Anyway, I just wanna know how you were able to swim to the surface with your legs when you can barely walk."

Jerry chuckled, "Actually I didn't swim by myself," he said, "I had a little help."

"From who?"

"I was just about to lose my breath when a dolphin, who apparently had heard Azura's insane laughing, showed up and helped me escape."

"But didn't Azura see you?"

"No, she was too busy laughing her head off. Anyway, I grabbed onto the dolphin's dorsal fin and it swam me up to the surface and helped me swim to shore."

"Wow…wait, what'd the dolphin look like?" Harold asked.

"Uh, it was a bottlenose with a white spot above its right eye."

Harold suddenly remembered that the bottlenose dolphin he had accidentally let escape that day in gym class at merschool had a white spot above its eye also. But that wasn't important right now.

"Well, it's really great to see you again, Dad."

"You too, Harold," said Jerry. "And since we both live on land now, nothing will ever come between us again,"

"I'll teach you everything you need to know about being a human," said Harold, "Starting with how to sleep on a real bed. Come on."

Harold helped Jerry up the stairs and they went into Ray's old bedroom, where Jerry would sleep. Harold explained to Jerry everything about the bed and how to sleep on it.

"The pillow is what you lay your head on, and the bedspread, or blanket, is what you cover yourself up with to keep yourself warm," Harold explained.

"Amazing," Jerry said when Harold was finished with the lesson, "Humans think of the most brilliant stuff."

"Yyyyyeah," said Harold, "Now get in bed and get some sleep. You really need it."

Jerry yawned, "You're right, I do."

"I'm sorry I don't have any pajamas that'll fit you. I'll have to buy you some clothes tomorrow. Will you be fine sleeping naked tonight?"

"Sure, I'll be fine," Jerry replied.

"Good."

Harold pushed the bed's covers back a little bit and helped his dad into bed.

"Oh my…" Jerry said loudly when he lye down on the mattress.

"What?"

"This bed is so soft. I love it!"

Harold rolled his eyes, "That's 'cause you've been sleeping on a rock your whole life."

"I know, but this just feels so good."

Harold laughed and pulled the covers on top of Jerry's body. Jerry took off his glasses and handed them to Harold, who put them on the dresser next to the bed.

"Goodnight, Dad."

"Come here, son," said Jerry. Harold hugged Jerry goodnight and snuggled up against his chest, "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Son."

Harold finally felt happy again. He didn't have to go back to the ocean, his father was now on land with him. Mermen or not, these two would never again be separated.

_End of chapter, but not end of story! I still have an epilogue to write._


	9. Chapter 9: Jerry's New Life

_Last Chapter  
_

The next day, Harold got up really early in the morning to go out and buy his dad some clothes. He knew Jerry would be most comfortable in a color that he recognized, so everything he bought was emerald green.

When Harold arrived back at the house, he was a little tired because it was only eight in the morning. But he knew that whole day would be long having a dad who had just changed species. He went upstairs to Jerry's room and gently tapped him to wake him up.

"Dad," he said. "Dad, wake up."

Jerry yawned and opened his eyes. "Good Morning, Harold."

"Morning, Dad," Harold said handing his father his glasses. "Sleep well?"

"Yes, I did. I'm never sleeping on a rock again. This bed thing is so much better."

"Good," Harold replied. "Now let's get you out of bed. I'm gonna teach you everything there is to know about being a human, starting with how to take a bath."

"What's a bath?"

Harold helped his dad out of bed and then took him to the bathroom.

"This is the bathroom," he explained. "And this is the bathtub. This is what humans use to clean themselves."

"Wow."

"This is how it works," Harold filled the tub with warm water. "You sit in here for a few minutes and scrub your body with this."

He handed Jerry a bar of soap, which Jerry wasn't expecting to be so slippery. The soap was barely in his hand for half a second when it slipped and fell to the floor.

Harold picked the soap up. "Maybe I should help you out with this."

"That might be best," Jerry agreed.

So Harold helped Jerry get into the tub and showed him how to soap and shampoo. He also remembered to tell Jerry not to let soap and shampoo in his eyes.

When the bath was done, Jerry was, unusual as this may sound, sniffing himself.

"This is such a weird smell," he said to Harold. "But in a kind of good way."

Harold laughed. "At least you don't smell like fish anymore. Now let's get you dressed."

They went back to Jerry's room and Harold showed him how to dress himself. It took almost thirty minutes, but when they were finished, Jerry looked rather spiffy in his brand new green button-down shirt, blue shorts, and green sandals. But he was making weird faces and scratching himself all over.

"How do you feel, Dad?" Harold asked.

"Well, they look great, son. But I feel so itchy."

"You just need to get used to them."

Jerry nodded. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"Good, now let's go have breakfast. I'll show you what kinds of food humans eat."

They went downstairs and into the kitchen. Harold decided to start Jerry off with something simple, meaning nothing hot or strong in taste, so he made fruit salads for the two of them. As they ate, Harold explained each type of fruit to Jerry and then he would taste them. Jerry loved each of them so much that he finished the whole thing almost instantly.

"Harold, that was delicious," he said when he was done.

"Was it better than kelp?" Harold asked with a smile.

"Way better. Especially those sweet red ones, what are they called?"

"Strawberries."

"Right, strawberries."

Harold spent the rest of the morning teaching Jerry how to walk, which was almost as difficult as teaching a baby to walk. Jerry could stand up just fine, but walking was another story. Sometimes he would start off just fine, but after two or three steps he would lose his balance and fall down. But Harold helped him back on his feet and demonstrated walking once again. After about three hours, Jerry was able to walk in a straight line and not fall down. At this point, Harold had him walk all around the living room, around the kitchen, and even up the stairs. He did so and never fell down, not even once.

"Congrats, Dad," said Harold. "You can walk now."

"Yeah, it feels great."

"Glad to know that." Then Harold thought of something he still needed to teach him. "I almost forgot, I'm gonna teach you how to swim with legs."

Jerry was pleased to hear this news. "Swimming," he said. "I never thought I'd miss that so much."

"Then let's hit the pool, but first we should get into our trunks."

They went upstairs and Harold helped Jerry change out of his clothes and into the green swimming trunks he had bought him. Jerry looked at himself in the bathroom mirror.

"Harold?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"This may be the best outfit you bought me."

Harold looked at his dad. "For some reason, I knew you were gonna say that."

"Really?"

"Yeah, alright I have to get into my trunks. You go downstairs and wait for me by the pool, but don't go in it yet."

Jerry went downstairs and into the back yard. He didn't feel so excited anymore when he saw the swimming pool. It was just a large rectangular hole in the ground barely any bigger than a humpback whale. He was even less impressed when he saw how deep it was; he could actually see the bottom! _"What's the big deal?" _he asked himself. _"I've seen tidal pools more fun that this thing." _

He didn't see the need for Harold to teach him how to swim. Even the worst swimmer in the world swim in that kiddy pool. He first decided to jump in and teach himself how to swim. He had already mastered walking, how bad could swimming be? But then, he thought about what had happened yesterday and remembered that he had almost drowned after Azura made him human. Then again he was completely underwater when that happened and this pool looked like he could jump into it without getting his hair wet. What were the odds of him drowning?

Jerry stepped off the pool's edge and to his surprise his entire body sank to the bottom. When his feet touched the floor, he looked up. The water's surface was at least five feet above his head. This was not what he had expected. The pool didn't look this deep from above the water. But he didn't worry about that for long, he couldn't swim and was completely underwater. He tried waving his arms and kicking his legs, but that was no good. He tried yelling Harold's name hoping for an answer, but all that came out of his mouth were bubbles. After a whole minute of kicking and mumbled yelling, Jerry lost consciousness.

Harold had changed into his swimming trunks and was now walking out the back door with some towels in his arm.

"Okay, Dad. Are you ready to…" Harold looked all around, but didn't see Jerry anywhere. He dropped the towels. "Dad? Dad?" Jerry didn't answer. Where could he have gone? Then Harold's attention turned to the pool. "No, no. He wouldn't dare. He doesn't even know how to swim, why would he be in there?"

He walked up to the pool, looked to the bottom and almost fainted. Jerry was floating unconsciously near the very bottom of the pool. Hopefully he was just unconscious. Without wasting another minute, Harold took a deep breath and jumped into the water. He swam up to Jerry, grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him up to the surface.

Once the two broke the surface, Harold pushed Jerry over the pool's edge and onto the pavement. Jerry coughed up a lot of water and then blinked his eyes open. Harold was relieved that he was okay, but disappointed at what he'd done.

"Dad, are you out of your mind?" he snapped. "Don't scare me like that. You could've died."

Jerry was still trying to catch his breath. "I'm sorry, Harold."

"Why did you do that? You know you can't swim. Don't you remember what happened yesterday?"

"I just looked in and thought since it was so shallow, I could teach myself to swim. I guess even in the human world, things aren't always what they appear, are they?"

"No, they're not," Harold said, sounding more calm. "Things are almost never what they appear to be. Take Phony Azura for example. She seemed so nice at first, and then we found out she's a crazy, evil old hag."

Jerry nodded. "You're right. I guess I have a lot to learn about being human."

"Are you kidding? We're just getting started. You've got a long way to go until you get the hang of your new life and it's not gonna be easy. But I'll be with you every step of the way,"

"Thanks, Harold." The two former mermen hugged.

"Now let's teach you how to swim," Harold said when they pulled away.

They got into the shallow end of the pool, which luckily wasn't too deep for Jerry, and Harold began teaching. Truth be told, it turned out to be the easiest thing he had taught Jerry all day. After only ten or fifteen minutes, Jerry was swimming with the grace of an orca. The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool. It reminded them of the time they'd spent in the ocean. Jerry was enjoying himself so much he'd lost track of time.

By the time the sun was down, Jerry was still splashing all around in the pool. Harold on the other hand was exhausted from all the teaching he had done that day. Jerry took notice of this and asked him if he wanted to stop swimming for the night. Harold nodded tiredly and they both got out of the pool.

"Harold, would you like me to carry you to your room?" Jerry asked.

"Do you think you can?" said Harold.

Jerry nodded.

"Alright then," Harold said with a smile.

Jerry scooped him up in his arms and lifted him up, almost dropping him. "Whoa, it was much easier to carry you when we were mermen," said Jerry.

"You really don't have to do this, Dad."

"Oh nonsense. This is what dads are supposed to do with their tired kids, right?"

"I guess so," Harold said after a short pause. "Just don't hurt yourself. It's only your first day of walking."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." But Jerry wasn't sure if that was true. Harold weighed a lot more than he had expected, but Jerry still wanted to be a good dad so he began walking toward the house with his son in tow.

Once they were inside, Jerry's face was beginning to blush. This concerned Harold a bit.

"Uh, Dad? Are you sure you can do this? You still have to take me all the way upstairs."

Jerry started to lose his sense of balance. He could feel his face turning redder and redder. Harold just weighed too much for him. He couldn't take it anymore. "No…I'm…not…sure…" With that, Jerry fell to the floor headfirst and released Harold causing him to roll a few feet away from him.

After a few seconds of lying motionless on the floor, the two of them looked at each other and broke out into laughter. Harold helped his father up and they decided it was a better if they slept downstairs on the living room couch in their swim trunks.

Harold fetched a blanket big enough for both of them from the hall closet and they huddled together while lying on the couch.

"Hey Harold?" Jerry said after a few minutes.

"Yeah, Dad?"

"I think now I understand what you were going through when you first came to live with me in the ocean."

Harold smiled. "It's not easy to suddenly have a new life, is it?"

Jerry shook his head.

"But you're doing way better than I was," Harold continued.

"You really think so?"

"Sure I do. It's only your second day with legs and you already know how to use 'em."

Jerry chuckled and rubbed his son's head. "I guess because I've learned from the best."

"Ya know what, Dad?"

"What?"

"I may not know too much about Mom, but I know one thing; she'd be really proud of you."

Jerry smiled. "She'd be proud of both of us."

"Why me?"

"Because you're here to help me get the hang of my new life."

"Just like you were there for me." Harold buried his face in the blazing warmth of his father's chest. "I love you."

Jerry held Harold close to him. "I love you too."

The two of them huddled together knowing that no matter what would happen in the future, they would always be there for each other.

_The end_

**Author's Note: **I am SO sorry to keep everyone waiting. I hope this last chapter was worth it. Please respond!


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